4 ms·

Agreed. Nextdoor's whole model is built around fear-mongering. It is despicable. This is where the "see something, say something" can go too far. A guy driving

Agreed. Nextdoor's whole model is built around fear-mongering. It is despicable. This is where the "see something, say something" can go too far. A guy driving a van through your neighborhood could be a plumber and not a pedophile trying to kidnap your kids. There seems to be no sense of "suspicious activity" before these people start spewing nonsense. To be fair, this isn't unique to Nextdoor. My relative is a state police and they get calls for things you can't even imagine, like "my kid won't listen to me, can you scare them straight?" or "the neighbor mowed one strip over the line, make them stop!" It just sucks when companies set out to exploit this human characteristic for profit but hide behind the guise of "open platform". "We're just trying to help build stronger neighborhoods", yeah sure you are.

justaguyhere 6y ago
It just sucks when companies set out to exploit this human characteristic for profit It is easy to make money off fear/hate than love/friendship. Racist people will always be racist, Nextdoor or not. It is just that sites like Nextdoor make it easier to vent and share their "feelings". If Nextdoor goes away, there will be 10 others to take its place unfortunately.
- duckMuppet 6y ago
  People of color and economically challenged individuals are at extreme risk for the covid per multiple studies. Asking what these individuals are doing out of their homes during this dire time for them in the U.S. is a prudent action. Don't confuse The desire to protect them with allegations of subtle racism.
  - veggieburglar 6y ago
    This has been going on since the beginning of the platform, far before the shelter in place orders went into effect.
  - nogabebop23 6y ago
    >> People of color and economically challenged individuals So if you see a black person in your neighrbourhood, they must be poor? >> Asking what these individuals are doing out of their homes during this dire time for them in the U.S. is a prudent action. So you know there's no house arrest for the general public anywhere in the US right now, plus social networks exist before & after covid? >> Don't confuse The desire to protect them with allegations of subtle racism. Yes - everyone's first reaction to the scenario described is "how can I protect this person from themselves?" I'll give you the benefit of assuming you're just a really argumentative "debater" or this is a troll, otherwise... wow...
  - lame-robot-hoax 6y ago
    This is either sarcasm or a troll.
  - dang 6y ago
    We ban accounts that troll HN like this. Please don't do it again. And please stop using HN for ideological battle generally. We've already had to warn you once. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
leetcrew 6y ago
> Nextdoor's whole model is built around fear-mongering. this is a very strong claim. I certainly see a fair amount of cringy pear-clutching or downright racist posts, but I see a lot more posts that are pictures of cats asking if anyone is missing it. also some women and poc warning others about an individual that actually harassed them. is it possible the the posts are you seeing reflect your community more than the platform?
- jeffbee 6y ago
  Nextdoor's revenue model is 100% fear-based. That's why there is an advert for ADT or Ring at the top of every feed, every day. That's why crime posts are distributed to your whole city while general posts default to your neighborhood.
  - leetcrew 6y ago
    > That's why there is an advert for ADT or Ring at the top of every feed, every day. can't speak to this, as I use adblock when browsing. I don't doubt you, though. > That's why crime posts are distributed to your whole city while general posts default to your neighborhood. I don't see this. first of all, I don't actually see a specific "crime" category, presumably this falls under "safety". if I try to add a post to a specific category, I don't notice any difference in the default settings. as for what I see in my home feed, I only see crime related posts from users in nearby locations (ie, my neighborhood and immediately adjacent ones). I only see city-wide posts from city officials, and these are on a variety of topics.
    - jeffbee 6y ago
      I can't verify this any more because I spiked my Nextdoor account by "moving" to Comiskey Park, but when I used it "Crime & Safety" was one of the top-level categories under which you could post, along with General, For Sale, etc. When you chose Crime & Safety, the maximum scope to which you could post was broadened to include your whole "wider area" which for me was all of central and north Oakland, Piedmont, and Alameda.
wyxuan 6y ago
+100 to this. I’ve seen so many chem trails and 5g bs sprouted in my feed. Because this kind of content involves a lot of discussion, it gets pushed higher in my feed ;(

justaguyhere 6y ago

It just sucks when companies set out to exploit this human characteristic for profit It is easy to make money off fear/hate than love/friendship. Racist people will always be racist, Nextdoor or not. It is just that sites like Nextdoor make it easier to vent and share their "feelings". If Nextdoor goes away, there will be 10 others to take its place unfortunately.

duckMuppet 6y ago
People of color and economically challenged individuals are at extreme risk for the covid per multiple studies. Asking what these individuals are doing out of their homes during this dire time for them in the U.S. is a prudent action. Don't confuse The desire to protect them with allegations of subtle racism.
- veggieburglar 6y ago
  This has been going on since the beginning of the platform, far before the shelter in place orders went into effect.
- nogabebop23 6y ago
  >> People of color and economically challenged individuals So if you see a black person in your neighrbourhood, they must be poor? >> Asking what these individuals are doing out of their homes during this dire time for them in the U.S. is a prudent action. So you know there's no house arrest for the general public anywhere in the US right now, plus social networks exist before & after covid? >> Don't confuse The desire to protect them with allegations of subtle racism. Yes - everyone's first reaction to the scenario described is "how can I protect this person from themselves?" I'll give you the benefit of assuming you're just a really argumentative "debater" or this is a troll, otherwise... wow...
- lame-robot-hoax 6y ago
  This is either sarcasm or a troll.
- dang 6y ago
  We ban accounts that troll HN like this. Please don't do it again. And please stop using HN for ideological battle generally. We've already had to warn you once. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

leetcrew 6y ago

> Nextdoor's whole model is built around fear-mongering. this is a very strong claim. I certainly see a fair amount of cringy pear-clutching or downright racist posts, but I see a lot more posts that are pictures of cats asking if anyone is missing it. also some women and poc warning others about an individual that actually harassed them. is it possible the the posts are you seeing reflect your community more than the platform?

jeffbee 6y ago
Nextdoor's revenue model is 100% fear-based. That's why there is an advert for ADT or Ring at the top of every feed, every day. That's why crime posts are distributed to your whole city while general posts default to your neighborhood.
- leetcrew 6y ago
  > That's why there is an advert for ADT or Ring at the top of every feed, every day. can't speak to this, as I use adblock when browsing. I don't doubt you, though. > That's why crime posts are distributed to your whole city while general posts default to your neighborhood. I don't see this. first of all, I don't actually see a specific "crime" category, presumably this falls under "safety". if I try to add a post to a specific category, I don't notice any difference in the default settings. as for what I see in my home feed, I only see crime related posts from users in nearby locations (ie, my neighborhood and immediately adjacent ones). I only see city-wide posts from city officials, and these are on a variety of topics.
  - jeffbee 6y ago
    I can't verify this any more because I spiked my Nextdoor account by "moving" to Comiskey Park, but when I used it "Crime & Safety" was one of the top-level categories under which you could post, along with General, For Sale, etc. When you chose Crime & Safety, the maximum scope to which you could post was broadened to include your whole "wider area" which for me was all of central and north Oakland, Piedmont, and Alameda.

wyxuan 6y ago

+100 to this. I’ve seen so many chem trails and 5g bs sprouted in my feed. Because this kind of content involves a lot of discussion, it gets pushed higher in my feed ;(